


Dream, Drop, Don't Leave Me Behind

by rarmaster



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3342947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarmaster/pseuds/rarmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A retelling of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance where Kairi tags along, seeing as I still don't understand what harm it would've done to have her just sit in on the Mark of Mastery Exam to begin with. Donald and Goofy got to do it. Why not her? Sora/Riku/Kairi implied, but not overbearing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Exam Begins

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a tumblr post by user paopumilkshake, though I only used a few of the ideas suggested. I also referenced a few events only brought up in the novels/manga, so if you're worried about having missed something, that's likely why. 
> 
> This was a project written for #kairineedslove2k15.
> 
> Also, I'm not sure if anyone here needs this disclaimer, but I obviously did not write this all in one day. I just waited until I was finished with it before uploading.

Kairi blew a strand of her hair out of her eyes, thinking idly that perhaps she should take a leaf from Riku's book and get it cut soon. Short hair was a good look on Riku. It had been a good look on her, too, plus long hair had proven to get in the way of adventuring. There wasn't time to get it cut now, though, so she had it tied up. Donald and Goofy would be here with the Gummi Ship to pick them all up any minute.

King Mickey's letter had left them all… uneasy, to say the best. The thought of a new threat to face—and so soon after they had defeated the last—wasn't a fun thought to consider. And the King hadn't made this Xehanort guy out to be someone who could be taken lightly. Kairi didn't know who Xehanort was, only that she'd heard his name a time or two, though only in the context of Xehanort's Heartless—or Ansem, as Riku still habitually called him. She'd attempted to pry out more answers, but Sora knew little more than she did, and Riku turned in on himself two questions into the conversation. She'd find out how to bring him back out of the shell eventually, she and Sora both, but at the time, she'd left it alone. Riku deserved some time to rest. They all did.

Besides, she could just as easily ask the King about Xehanort when they got to Master Yen Sid's. There was no need to bother Riku about it before he was ready.

Nor was there time. The Gummi Ship was lowering from the sky and into the shallower water—there was no room for it elsewhere, not on the small play island. Kairi jumped to her feet, not even noticing the sand she kicked up as it hit her ankles. Sora was running down to the shore before long, yelling and waving at his friends aboard. He was already wading into the water when he stopped and realized Kairi was beside him.

"Wait, you're coming too?" he asked.

Kairi rolled her eyes and groaned a little. "Well, duh. I already told you that, remember?" She reached out to knock on his head. He grimaced, though laughing a little, and pushed her off.

"Right, right," he said. "Sorry. Forgot. In all the excitement." He turned and cupped his hands around his mouth. "You coming or what, Riku? The King asked for us both!"

"Hey." Kairi pulled one of his hands away from his mouth and gripped it tightly. His grin fell to surprise as he turned to her. "Listen, I wasn't kidding when I said that wherever you go, I'm coming too, alright? Even if it's dangerous. From now on, whatever we do, we do it together. All three of us." She reached over and grabbed Riku's hand as he neared.

The surprise on Sora's face melted into a smile, not an excited one, just a happy one. Riku looked a little flustered. Donald honked the horn on the ship and told them to get a move on already.

Sora was all smiles for the drive—"This boat runs on happy faces!" he told them, emphatically. He was even smiles through the embarrassing stories Donald and Goofy kept cracking about him, though he complained loudly. His complaints only seemed to make Donald more excited to tell the stories, but Goofy kept talking with the warm expression of a parent who didn't realize how embarrassing their stories actually were.

It wasn't much longer before they all stood in Yen Sid's office. Sora and Riku stood at attention in front of his desk, while Kairi and Donald and Goofy and the King stood to the side, watching earnestly. Kairi's eyes kept flickering to her thalassa charm that hung from Sora's belt—it had seemed weird to accept it back from him after so long, so she'd given it back to him. When she'd noticed Riku watching with a ruffled expression, she'd told him in an exaggerated whisper it was because Sora needed the luck for the exam. Truth was, she felt horrible about not having a charm for Riku, but thalassa shells took a while to collect, and she hadn't had time to collect enough. Her first order of business when they stopped back by home would be to collect enough shells to finish Riku's charm.

They'd all been summoned here so that Sora and Riku could take something called the Mark of Mastery Exam. It was a test to prove that they were worthy to be called Keyblade Masters. A rite of passage, based on what Kairi understood of what Yen Sid said.

Kairi's opinions of Yen Sid were… fragilely good, to say the best. Donald and Goofy and Mickey—and even Sora, to an extent—treated him with reverence, and Kairi was sure he was a respected Master. She just… She had a feeling about him, she didn't like. His eyes were too wide and his lips seemed permanently pursed in a scowl. Perhaps that was just how thick his eyebrows were. Either way, he reminded her too much of her elementary Science teacher for comfort. Too uptight. Too old-fashioned.

"And frankly, too grumpy," she muttered under her breath.

It should've been quiet enough that no one would hear, but the King surprised her by chuckling lightly. "Yen Sid is pretty… intimidating, isn't he?" he asked her, sending her a slight smile. Then he signaled for her to be quiet and listen.

Kairi swallowed, and did, though intimidating certainly wasn't a word she would've picked.

Yen Sid talked about Xehanort, and about how they would need those who the King had mentioned in his letter. She didn't like how he praised Sora and Riku for learning to use the Keyblade on their own before telling them that their previous experience didn't matter—they'd have to start training anew. Kairi gritted her teeth. The only difference between Yen Sid and her Science teacher was that Yen Sid had more hair, it seemed.

"Oh, come on!" Sora groaned, at the news he'd have to start training all over again. "Isn't this just a formality? I mean- I've proved myself, haven't I?" After saving the Worlds twice, Kairi would certainly say he had. "Me 'n the King and Riku—and Kairi." He sent a grin past Riku at her, then turned back to Yen Sid. "We can handle anything!"

Yen Sid's eyes also darted to Kairi, and for a second he regarded her with an almost disapproving stare that made her blood boil.

"I'm… not so sure…" Riku said. It was the gravity of his tone that drew everyone's attention to him more than his words. He reached out and summoned his blade—but not his Keyblade. It was his old blade. Riku took a deep breath, then banished it. "I feel like… like I still have darkness in my heart." He didn't say it, but Kairi could hear the I still have Ansem—no, Xehanort—in me that did not leave his lips. "Maybe I do need to be tested."

Kairi opened her mouth to protest, but Sora beat her to it.

"That settles it, then!" he declared, with a grin that split his face in two. "Put us through the exam. I'm sure we'll both pass with flying colors!" Kairi swallowed her own protest. Sora's method of reassuring Riku was probably better, when it came down to it.

Yen Sid nodded, slowly. "Very well. Then let us begin."

Kairi wasn't sure how speaking for another five minutes equated to beginning the exam, but she supposed Yen Sid was explaining very important parts of the exam. She didn't entirely understand this whole "sleeping worlds" business, though. Maybe she'd ask after the exam began, when Sora and Riku wouldn't be distracted by her. The bit on the Keyblade War was even harder to understand, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing. If Sora and Riku would be sleeping for this exam, there would be plenty of time to ask questions later.

"Are you ready?" Yen Sid asked, finally, at the end of his explanations.

Riku sent a hesitant look at Sora, but Sora was grinning, and he nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm ready!"

Riku hesitated a second longer, but then he nodded as well. "Me too."

Kairi could feel the magic Yen Sid cast prickle on her skin. A bright light surrounded Riku and Sora both, and then they crumpled to the ground. Kairi jolted in surprise.

"Gawrsh, don't you think you could've waited until they were comfortable before sending them to the sleeping worlds?" Goofy asked. He sent a hesitant look at Yen Sid.

"Let's just move them," Donald said, his voice more an angry quack than a voice right now. He and Goofy moved to move Sora immediately, leaving Riku for the King and Kairi. After a bit of maneuvering, they finally had the boys in a semi comfortable spot slumped against the wall behind Yen Sid's chair.

"Now what?" Kairi asked.

Yen Sid closed his eyes and ran a hand through his beard.

"We wait."


	2. Keyblade

"Is this one of those shells you were looking for, Kairi?"

She looked up at the sound of Goofy's voice, a smile spreading across her face as he trotted over with clumsy legs, a seashell carefully held between two fingers. She took it from him, turning it over in her hands, then nodding. "Yes, it is, thank you Goofy." She beamed at him.

"You're welcome!"

And he was off again to look for more.

"What about these?" Donald asked.

He stomped up to her, with an armful of seashells and what,  _might,_ have been a crab. Even with his grumpy attitude, Kairi still smiled. "I'll look through them," she told him, as he dropped them in a pile at her feet. She bent down to start sorting, starting first with the crab—it was  _definitely_  a crab. She carefully picked the little guy up and dropped him back into the shallows of the ocean.

She understood now why Sora was such good friends with these two. They were both very kind, even if Donald was begrudging, and easy to get along with. They also both cared a lot about Sora, and were very glad to have finally gotten to meet her, along with Riku. She told them about the Islands—everything Sora hadn't already told them, anyway—and about the year she'd spent here alone. They exchanged stories about Sora, as well. Donald and Goofy had plenty to share from their travels (only some of them embarrassing, now that Sora wasn't around to tease), and Kairi had plenty from childhood (most more embarrassing than the rest).

When she'd asked them if they could take her for a visit back home so she could finish gathering thalassa shells, they'd surprised her by asking if they could come along and help her out. She'd seen no reason to tell them no, so that's why they were where they were now. Goofy also asked if she was making a charm for Riku like the one she'd made for Sora, and had broken into a wide grin when she'd told him yes. Donald told her after that that not a day had gone by when Sora hadn't looked at his charm.

Kairi smiled to herself as she thought of that, slowly tossing the shells Donald had brought her to the side. Only one of them was a thalassa. Her thoughts after that turned to Xehanort, who the King had told her more about, after plenty of questions. He wasn't as hesitant as Riku to talk about it, but he was still hesitant, and even more so to talk about the three friends he'd lost to Xehanort's plans. She could tell the thought of them saddened him, so she'd stopped asking.

She'd asked Yen Sid about plenty of things, too. The Keyblade War finally made sense when Yen Sid mentioned how its ending lead to the end of all worlds, and how the worlds were only salvaged by the light children carried. It was the story her grandma used to tell her! A more in depth version, and certainly not one meant for a fairytale, but the same story nonetheless. She was burning to ask more questions about it when they got back.

"Here, Kairi," Goofy said, handing her another thalassa shell. "I found another one!"

"Great! Then I have enough!" She got to her feet and brushed her legs off, sticking the shell carefully in her pocket. "I'll need to stop by my house real quick to get the other shells and the rest of the stuff for the charm though, okay? I'll be right back!"

Her father was at work, so she didn't have to worry about running into him. Of course, she'd explained well enough what had happened, and he'd believed her… for the most part. He hadn't forbade her from leaving again, at least, and that was really all that mattered.

She was back at the beach where Donald and Goofy were waiting with everything she needed before long. Goofy asked if she had everything, and she humored him by double checking her supplies. Then they piled into the Gummi Ship and headed back to Yen Sid's.

Kairi was all prepared to sit down next to Riku when they returned and start working on his charm, but when they entered Yen Sid's study, the King and Yen Sid looked very much like they'd been waiting for them. Or… for her, seeing as how Yen Sid barely spared a glance at Donald and Goofy.

"Uhm," Kairi began.

"Kairi," the King began as well, then he paused. She had a feeling it was less to do with the fact she had said anything, and more so that he could re-gather his words. "Well, this may sound like a strange question—but you  _can_ wield a Keyblade, can't ya?"

Kairi blinked. Was that all this was about? She nodded, laughing a little. "Yeah," she said. She didn't want to be rude and remind the King that he'd  _been there_ to see her try it out on a few Nobodies back when they were all working to take down the Organization. She wasn't very  _good_ with the Keyblade, of course, but she didn't have any training—

_Training._

She took a step forward, a grin breaking across her face. "Is this about training? Riku and Sora talked a little about training but we never really got around to doing much and I would  _love_ to know how to really use the Keyblade. I mean- I've got a few ideas but- but…" She caught herself before she could gush any further, and swallowed and straightened so she would look a little more composed, though she could not wipe the grin off her face. It shouldn't matter though, right? Sora was Keyblade Wielder material and he was  _worse_ about these sorts of things.

"This is about training," Yen Sid affirmed. She tried not to take his slow way of responding as reluctance. "Can you summon your Keyblade for me?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah!" She reached out and called it to her. She'd done this quite a few times before, but she still couldn't get over the rush she felt, the burst of light, the rustle of wind, and how  _warm_ the metal felt in her palm. It felt like something was going to beat out of her chest, and she could never tell if it was joy or pride.

The King sent Yen Sid a look that, for a second, Kairi almost read as  _I-told-you-so._ But then the look was gone, and, well, Kairi knew the King better than to expect that sort of look from him.

Yen Sid only took a deep breath, then nodded.

"You should begin training immediately."


	3. Training

Training was nice. Training was  _wonderful,_ really. Yen Sid instructed her on a lot of mental exercises, which were alright, but what she  _really_ enjoyed was the training with the King, often with Donald and Goofy helping out. Donald coached her in magic, and Goofy was usually her sparring partner. (It was less "sparring" and more "hitting Goofy with her Keyblade while he used his shield to block", but it still counted as practice.)

Right now it was just her and the King practicing. He was walking her through basic forms and stances, which wasn't as much fun as hitting Goofy around, but was certainly preferable to Yen Sid's meditation lessons. The King had an endless well of patience, it seemed, though he wasn't the best when it came to explaining things. When he got flustered, it was more often with himself than it was with Kairi.

"Is that all for today, Your Majesty?" Kairi asked, on their third break, as she cast a squinting glance at the sky. That was habit more than it was anything else, seeing as the sky was caught in an eternal twilight and she could not actually tell time by it. Still, they had been at this for a while, and while she could not outright tell the King she wanted to quit, she did want to get back to Riku's thalassa charm. It'd been a few days since finding all the shells—and thus, since training started—but she hadn't had a lot of time to work on it, with all the training and question asking. (She would pry more answers out of Yen Sid if it killed her.)

The King nodded, and banished his Keyblade. "Yeah, I think that's enough," he said. Then he broke into an uneasy smile. "By the way, Kairi, there's no need for all the 'Your Majesty's—just Mickey is fine, you know?"

Kairi raised her eyebrows. She couldn't say she was surprised, entirely. He scowled every time Donald or Goofy called him it, if only briefly, though she'd chalked that up to him being a little exasperated to have his closest friends be so formal with him,  _constantly._ Still, while she knew the King well by now, she could not comfortably call them  _friends,_ and so she had to check: "Are you sure?" she asked.

The King—Mickey—nodded. "I'm sure. Let's head back inside and see how Riku and Sora are doing."

Yen Sid had said it could take a few more days for Sora and Riku to complete their task and return. How they did not need food or water or anything in this state, Kairi still didn't understand, but she'd been assured they were fine, and would be fine. Goofy had quietly told her it was magic, and that she should leave it at that, and she understood. She just wasn't used to being able to explain things with a mere "it's magic", and it would be a long time before she would be.

Kairi sighed and settled herself down on the ground, next to Riku this time. She would sit between the two of them, but there wasn't enough room, and she feared jostling them, lest it mess up their test. She started stringing the next thalassa shell onto the charm, thinking about what question she would ask Yen Sid next. There was always more questions to ask about the Keyblade War, which he was happy to answer, though she was getting the feeling he was running out of new answers to impart on her. She'd asked about Xehanort a few times, and might press more about him, but those conversations usually ended in Yen Sid grumbling and stroking his beard, as if worried about something. She could never pry hard enough to figure out  _what,_ though she had—briefly—sensed something… unsettling. Something that she thought came from Sora's heart, but it was gone before she could be sure. Yen Sid had not answered that question when she'd asked, and she'd since given up on asking  _any_ questions about Sora and Riku's test, because it was clear Yen Sid was not going to answer any more than how many Keyholes they had locked so far.

"How's the charm coming along?" Goofy asked, as he passed her. He looked like he was heading for one of the windows, but he paused so that he could talk to her.

"Huh? Oh. It's coming," Kairi replied. She hastily started stitching again, having forgotten to while lost in her thoughts.

"That's great!" Goofy said, beaming. He headed over to join Donald at the larger, moon-shaped window.

"Gee, I hope Sora and Riku are alright…" Donald sighed.

"They'll be fine as long as they're together," Kairi assured him, though perhaps not with as much conviction as normal.  _I only wish I could be with them,_ she thought, not for the first time.

"Master Yen Sid," the King—Mickey—said. There was an uneasiness in his tone that made Kairi's hands still, for a moment. "Listen, I know I might just be worryin', but do ya think—"

"Look! A raven!" Goofy called, before Mickey could finish. Kairi looked up to see the black bird shoot through the window and over Goofy's head. It looked like it was carrying a scroll in its claws, and something else in its mouth. Something that caught the dim light and glinted, for a moment.

The raven had flown to Yen Sid's desk before Kairi could be sure, dropping the items and leaving through another one of the windows. Kairi got to her feet and moved so she could see the desk, just as Mickey trotted up to it and paused. He did not even look at the scroll, his attention solely fixed on the other object—a crown. He picked it up between his fingers, and swallowed so hard Kairi could see it.

"Why… this is Minnie's…" he said, very slowly.

Minnie was the Queen—his wife. Kairi chewed her tongue, watching Mickey. Her heart felt like it was in her throat, even though it was not entirely her distress to feel. She did not know Minnie, not personally, but Mickey talked about her enough, and if he didn't, then Donald and Goofy did. She sounded like a very wonderful woman—er, mouse.

"The letter?" Yen Sid prompted.

Mickey looked up, blinking for a second as if he did not understand. Then he jolted. "Right!" he said, setting the crown down very carefully. He unrolled the scroll with trembling hands, and read over it. He appeared to get tenser and tenser with each word he read, until finally, he gasped aloud.

"What's it say?" Kairi asked. Goofy looked like he'd been about to ask the same question.

Mickey looked up from the letter. He started to speak, hesitated, before finally saying: "It's from Maleficent. She's kidnapped Minnie."

"She has Queen Minnie?!" Donald and Goofy yelped, in perfect unison.

"She wants me to return to Disney Castle," Mickey continued. "Or… Or else…"

"Mickey, there is no time to waste!" Yen Sid said.

Mickey nodded, setting the letter down. The distant look on his face became determination, and he nodded again. "Right!" he agreed. He picked up Minnie's crown and started for the door. "You fellas stay here, alright?" he said, nodding at Donald and Goofy.

They both immediately snapped to attention.

"King Mickey! We're going with you!" Goofy declared.

"Yeah! We can't let you go alone!"

Mickey stared at them a moment, and then broke into a grin. "Gosh, I guess you're right! Friends need to stick together, huh?" He turned to Yen Sid, looking quite a bit brighter. "Master Yen Sid, we'll be right back! I promise!"

"Uhm-" Kairi began, before the three could reach the door. The words caught on her lips a moment—while Mickey had told her to call him simply Mickey, it was much easier to do that in her head than it was to do it out loud. "Can I- Can I go with?" she asked.

Mickey and Donald and Goofy exchanged glances, and then Goofy said:

"I don't see why not."

"But we have to hurry!" Donald said, with a worried glance at Mickey. Kairi nodded, to say she understood—both the need for haste, and Donald's worry. She cast a look at Sora and Riku, sending them both a determined smile.  _You two better stay safe while I'm gone!_

And then they were out the door, which lead immediately to outside, rather than down a flight or so of stairs first. Kairi understood that this was Yen Sid's doing, with his magic, and did not question it, instead hurrying to the Gummi Ship along with everyone else.

The drive was tense. Mickey was constantly shifting in his seat, eyes fixed on Minnie's crown in his hands. Donald was curled like a wire about to spring, and his driving was worse than it normally was.

Just as she thought it, Goofy reached a hand closer to the controls. "Hey, Donald, maybe I should—"

"I got it!" Donald snapped.

Goofy sighed, then turned around in his seat to look at Mickey. "We're almost there," he said, with a smile. "Everything's gonna be just fine!"

"Mm?" Mickey looked up at him, then cracked a smile too. It was not the brightest smile Kairi had seen on his face. "Yeah. I know. Just… worried."

They arrived at Disney Castle in one piece, thankfully. Mickey was the first to climb out of the ship and race out of sight, and Donald was soon after him. Goofy waited for Kairi though, which she thanked him for.

"Wouldn't want you getting lost," he replied. "This way!"

Kairi wasn't sure where they were heading—a throne room? That would seem most likely, if the Queen was a hostage. Where else would a villain wait? It also seemed in Maleficent's tastes, not that Kairi knew very much about the witch. And, hadn't they all been on some sort of truce last time they met…? She thought they had been, but regardless, it was definitely broken now.

She was right about Maleficent waiting the throne room, though she had not imagined a throne room this size. Unsurprising, though, was Maleficent lounging in one of the two thrones, and—whatever her minion's name was—was holding Minnie. Minnie did not appear distressed, only watchful, sharp eyes considering the situation.

Kairi made to summon her Keyblade, but Goofy stopped her. "Don't want them hurting the Queen," he whispered. Kairi lowered her hand, cursing herself for not thinking of that.

"Pete, you big thug!" Donald called, once they were close enough not to all be shouting at each other in order to be heard. Pete. That's what his name was. Kairi almost thought  _I knew that,_ before, realizing, no. She had not known that.

"Thug works for me!" Pete laughed. "We all got our place, don't we?"

"Hmph! No underling of mine will be insulted so!" Maleficent said. It seemed to be for Pete as much as for Donald, based on the glare Maleficent shot Pete and the way he winced. Then a smile spread on Maleficent's face—a false smile if Kairi had ever seen one. "Besides," she continued. "I have great things in store for dear Pete, and  _all_ the worlds, once they are mine!"

"That day's  _never_ going to come, Maleficent," Mickey argued. For being so nervous on the drive here, he'd recovered well. He still clutched Minnie's crown tightly in one hand.

Maleficent tsked. "I'd suggest reconsidering. Unless, of course, the Queen's life means nothing to you?"

"Mickey! Don't you listen to her!" Minnie called. She'd shoved one of Pete's large hands away from her, so she could speak. "You can't let Maleficent have her—"

Pete noticed, and covered her mouth again, muffling the rest she had to say. Kairi tensed, and Mickey jumped.

"No! Minnie!" He reached out toward her, then remembered himself. Kairi saw him take a deep breath before he turned his attention back to Maleficent. "Alright, then. Tell us what you want."

Maleficent pretended to consider it, then swept to her feet. "Mm, perhaps… Shall I start with this world? Though, I must say I preferred it in its darker permutation."

Pete nodded his agreement.

"You're lying!" Donald quacked.

Mickey nodded. "He's right. Not even you would go through this much trouble just for that!"

"Hmm… but…" Goofy scratched his head. "Didn't she go through even  _more_ trouble last time she tried to take the castle…?" No one but Kairi was paying him enough attention to answer, and Kairi didn't know the answer.

"What is it you're  _really_ after?" Mickey demanded.

Maleficent sighed, dramatically, and then smiled. What was it with villains and smiling like they were so pleased with everything, anyway? "Very perceptive," Maleficent admitted. "Well, as you know, I've been looking to take the worlds as my own—I tried gathering the seven pure hearts, but the power that granted me was not enough." Kairi swore Maleficent's attention flickered to her, just for a moment. "Then it occurred to me…  _You_ have the 'data' for all the worlds, do you not?"

Kairi frowned, not understanding, but Mickey and Donald and Goofy all seemed to. Pete chuckled, and Maleficent's smile widened. She held her hand out.

"And now, you will give it to me."

"No!" Donald shouted.

"Uh-oh!" Goofy gasped.

"What do ya want it for?" Mickey asked. He did not sound as threatening as he probably could've. Kairi just wished she had time to ask  _what_ they all meant by this—she would have to ask later.

Maleficent scoffed. "I'm afraid that is no concern of yours!"

Mickey looked about ready to dart forward and attack, but Pete waggled his finger at him. "Ah-ah-ah! Wouldn't want our Royal Minnie Mousiness getting a boo-boo, would we?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged worried glances. Maleficent stepped forward, running a hand over the orb in her staff. Kairi's skin prickled at the feel of the uncast spell.

"I see you have failed to see the futility of your situation. Very well…" Maleficent swung her staff. "Face your doom!"

A dark spell of some sort flew at Mickey. Kairi summoned her Keyblade before she realized it—Mickey might have had summoned his, as well, except he was still holding Minnie's crown. Before Kairi could move, a weapon she thought she recognized flew in from behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise, in part from the shock of it, but also because—

It landed in front of Mickey, blocking Maleficent's blast. It was a good thing Mickey was so small. A second weapon like the first—yes, she definitely recognized them—flew at Pete. It didn't hit, but distracted him long enough for Minnie to get in a well-placed burst of light. She was running to stand behind Mickey before the dust completely settled. Both of the weapons—both of the chakrams—dissolved into ash.

Minnie safely behind him, and her crown in his left hand, Mickey summoned his Keyblade. He pointed it straight at Maleficent. "You  _lose…!_ "

Maleficent scowled. Pete scrambled to his feet, and rubbed at his head. When Maleficent said nothing, he turned to her. "Uh, ya know, I think the pipsqueak's right. We better hit the road!"

"Fine." Maleficent wrinkled her nose. "You have won this time, ' _Your Majesties_ ', but I know now that what I seek lies behind these walls. Trust that I will eliminate you in due time." She opened one of those dark portals and was gone, Pete hurrying after her.


	4. Lea

Maleficent gone, everyone now turned to see who had helped them. Kairi was not surprised to see Axel step out of another dark portal, though she was very surprised to see him  _here._ The same could be said for everyone else in the room.

"Gosh, of all people…" Mickey began. And he shook his head, as if he couldn't believe it. "I didn't expect  _you_  to come help us, Axel."

Axel shook his head, a laugh on his lips. "Axel didn't.  _Lea_ did."

Kairi banished her Keyblade and marched up to Axel—or Lea, whatever—hardly realizing what she was doing until she stood before him. She pulled her arm back. Socked him square in the jaw.

It wiped the smirk clean off his face. Axel—or Lea, apparently—yelped and clapped a hand to his jaw. Kairi pulled her hand away, shaking it a bit and trying not to grimace too much at her aching knuckles.

"Wak!  _Kairi!_ "

She didn't even look at Donald. " _That…_ was for kidnapping me," she said, matching Axel—she was not going to call him Lea—glare for glare. "You think you can just show up and change your name and it suddenly erases everything you ever did?"

"What!? No, it's not like that—"

"And- And how are you even  _here_? I mean—wait, never mind." Kairi remembered what Yen Sid said about Xehanort, and the same must be the true for Axel. "You're not a Nobody anymore, huh? You're a person now and you have a heart and you think you're different enough that you can just—"

"Wasn't I the one who tried to save you from Saix to begin with?" Axel asked, raising his voice so he could be heard over Kairi's rant. She stopped with her mouth open. Closed it. Grimaced. He was right.

"Well, yeah, okay, but only so you could use me for your own means."

"Actually, no."

"Oh,  _really?_ "

Axel rolled his eyes. "Yes, seriously, Kairi. I mean, if it wasn't for me, Namine would've never gotten to you."

"I, what?" She stared. "You-  _you_ sent Namine?"

" _Yes._ "

Kairi stared harder. She did not want to believe him.  _But,_ while it was easy to not believe his words, it was not so easy to deny the pulsing in her chest. She had to believe that. Had to believe the whisper of  _yes, he's right,_ that came from a voice that was not her own, from a voice she thought sounded like Namine.

The fire in her died, and Kairi sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't look Axel in the eye now.

"Fine," she grumbled. "Then… that was for… lighting Hayner's hair on fire."

Axel—or Lea,  _you should probably call him Lea—_ threw up his hands in defeat. "What's a guy around here supposed to do to turn over a new leaf?"

"How about  _apologize._ "

Lea shook his head. "Look, alright, fine, I'm sorry. There? Happy?" He didn't give her a chance to reply, his attention immediately shifting to Mickey. "Can I get to the reason why I really came here, now? I mean, I didn't mind helping you out but I kind of have some important news I'd like to get passed along."

"Oh! Of course—" Mickey began, but Minnie cut him off.

"Actually, Lea, if you wouldn't mind for just a second," she said. Lea groaned, but he did not protest, at least. Kairi might have punched him again, if he had. Minnie tugged at Mickey, and once he was facing her, she started brushing him off. "Ohh, Mickey, are you hurt? I meant to ask sooner, but I just…" She trailed off.

Mickey blinked a few times. "Uh… shouldn't I be the one asking you?"

"Oh I'm fine, they didn't harm me." Minnie waved aside his worries, then took a step back, looking satisfied.

"That's good." Mickey smiled, and then he laughed a little sheepishly. He held her crown out to her. "Oh, yeah. I think this belongs to you…?" Minnie laughed as well, taking the crown and settling it on her head.

Lea groaned again. "Look, alright, I really do have important information I came all this way to tell you."

"Oh, it can wait a few more seconds," Goofy told him. "Just give them a—"

"It's about Xehanort!"

That got Mickey's attention, at least. Kairi sent a skeptical glance at Lea, one that he did not see. Mickey turned to Lea, then back to Minnie, then sighed. She smiled reassuringly at him, and Mickey nodded, turning his full attention to Lea.

"Alright, then I guess we need to get goin'," he said.

"Wait. Why?" Kairi asked. She didn't see why Lea couldn't just tell them now.

"Yen Sid will need to hear it, too, and there's no point making Lea repeat himself," Mickey answered.

"Good. I don't like repeating myself."

They all headed for the Gummi Ship, including Minnie. She was only coming along to see them off, of course. Once out of the Throne Room, she turned to Kairi, a slight frown on her face. Kairi frowned as well, worried, but then Minnie laughed.

"Oh, forgive me! I just don't think we've been introduced."

"What? Oh. I'm Kairi." Kairi paused a second to pop the small curtsey-bow hybrid she'd been giving Mickey off and on. She was never quite sure which was more acceptable coming from her, not to mention it was hard to do anything but a deep curtsey, and she was certain neither Mickey nor Minnie wanted that.

"Kairi? It's nice to meet you!" Minnie smiled warmly up at her. "Are you a friend of Sora's?"

Kairi nodded. Mickey glanced back at them, as did Donald, but neither of them said anything.

"Well, like I said, nice to meet you," Minnie said.

"Nice to meet you, too," Kairi echoed.

"And, while, I suppose it doesn't mean much, thank you for coming along to rescue me."

"Oh!" That took Kairi by surprise. It wasn't like she'd done much. Not to mention she'd only come along, really, so that she wouldn't be left at Yen Sid's. It didn't seem like a good idea to  _tell_ Minnie that she'd only tagged along for an adventure, though, so she said: "You're welcome. Uh… Mickey was really worried."

"I'm sure." Minnie laughed a little. "He worries too much, sometimes."

"You weren't scared…?"

"Oh, no, of course not! Maleficent talks big, but she's only managed to be a serious threat once, and that was thanks to Pete."

"What about…" Kairi began, frowning. She didn't remember what had happened two years ago very well, due to her heart being with Sora, and not with her body, but… She thought it had been a little more serious than Minnie was making it out to be. "I thought she nearly managed to take over the worlds once."

"With help," Minnie argued. "And now the only help she has is Pete."

"What if A- Lea hadn't shown up?" Kairi asked. She'd probably asked more than enough questions, but, she was curious. She understood Minnie not being scared, for the most part. But she didn't even sound remotely worried, despite that it had looked like a rather close call before Lea arrived.

"Pete nearly let go of me once, and I'm quite certain he would have again," Minnie explained. "Lea just provided the distraction sooner than I anticipated." She paused a second, frowning again.

Kairi frowned as well. "Is… something wrong?"

"What? Oh, nothing!" Minnie assured her. "I'll just have to talk to Daisy as soon as you leave, that's all. Hopefully it's not too late…"

Kairi started to ask what Minnie meant by  _that,_ but there was no time. They'd reached the Gummi Ship hanger, and everyone but her and Mickey had piled into the ship.

"You'd better get going," Minnie said. "Don't want to keep the boys waiting, after all. Stop back sometime and chat, if you'd like."

"Oh-! I'd..." Kairi blinked a few times, a little flustered. She wasn't sure how to respond—lack of formalities or no, Minnie was still a Queen. Kairi supposed she  _was_ a Princess, of sorts, but she'd only ever felt like an Island girl. Kairi swallowed, then smiled. "I'd love to. Thank you. I will!"

Perhaps the fact she was a Princess of Heart, technically, hadn't even come into play here. Perhaps Minnie would've offered, regardless. The thought gave Kairi more butterflies than she'd like to admit.

"Just let me know when you want to stop by, and I'll send someone to give you a ride," Mickey told her, as she climbed into the Gummi Ship. She nodded and thanked him as well, then got herself seated. They only had to wait a bit for Mickey to say goodbye to Minnie, then he was in the Gummi Ship as well, and they were leaving.

The trip back to Yen Sid's was much more peaceful than the drive to Disney Castle had been, though no one talked this time, either. Lea spent the whole time with his arms crossed over his chest, looking uncomfortable. Kairi decided to blame that on the cloak he still wore—one of the Organization's cloaks. Why he hadn't gotten rid of it, she couldn't imagine.

 _Perhaps he had nothing else—_ the thought wasn't her own, or she did not think it was her own. Kairi sat up a little straighter. She hadn't heard Namine speak near enough (there was so much she wished they could have talked about) but she was still pretty sure that  _sounded_ like her voice. Was it strange to hear Namine's voice like this…? Namine was certainly not a normal Nobody, of course, though Kairi had been told she had been hers. They'd joined together again, according to what Namine said before it had happened. But what, exactly, did that mean?

Kairi took a deep breath.  _Namine…?_ she thought, tentatively, not sure how to contact someone who she was not even sure was there.

She didn't receive a reply.

She was still mulling it over, and still deciding who was best to ask about it—though she would start with Mickey, and then Yen Sid, regardless—when they returned to Yen Sid's tower. She was still thinking about it as she sat down at the end of the room and started working on Riku's charm. She could sit here, and listen, while Lea told Yen Sid whatever it was he needed to.

"Ya said you had something to say about Xehanort," Mickey said.

Lea nodded. He was standing in front of Yen Sid's desk, and entirely laid back. "Xehanort's back," he said. After a second he added: "You knew that, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Yen Sid confirmed. "Or, at least, I had assumed. I suppose it is nice to hear he is back for certain, though."

"Well, I can't tell you I've actually set my eyes on him or anything, though," Lea said. "But I figured since I'm back, and I've seen three others who used to be part of the Organization…" he trailed off, not needing to say more to make his point. Then he sighed. "Xigbar's with him, most likely—Or Braig, whatever you want to call him. Along with…" Lea hesitated, here, which took Kairi by surprise. "Along with… Isa. Or Saix. I'm not sure which you know him by."

Saix? Kairi remembered him, and remembered she didn't like him. She didn't like Xigbar either, if she remembered correctly, but Saix was the one who had taunted her while she'd been held captive by the Organization. The one Axel—Lea—had tried to save her from. Why did he seem so uneasy about Saix's—or, Isa's—current fate?

"Anyway, I don't know what Xehanort's up to, exactly, but I thought I should do something besides look around uselessly for the three of them, and tell  _someone_ that they're probably up to something," Lea finished. "Xehanort and Xigbar, for sure. Dunno about Isa. Wouldn't be surprised either way."

"Well, thank you for that," Yen Sid said. "Is there anything else you came here for?"

"Actually, yeah. I was hoping someone could teach me how to wield a Keyblade."

Kairi looked up in surprise. Donald and Mickey and Goofy all shouted simultaneous exclamations of shock—Donald's sounded quite a bit like ' _absolutely not!_ ', which made Kairi smile a little. Still…

"You can't just learn outta nowhere!" Mickey protested. And he had a point. Kairi wasn't sure where  _she'd_ gained the ability to learn the Keyblade, but she  _had_ gained it. Learning to wield it from there was one thing. Lea sounded like he wanted to be taught regardless. Unless he somehow already had the power to wield a Keyblade, he couldn't go making demands like that!

Now much more interested in the conversation than her charm, Kairi set it somewhere it would not be stepped on and got to her feet. She moved slightly to stand by Goofy, who did not appear to notice.

Yen Sid was considering Lea with a scrutinizing gaze. Kairi was glad to see Yen Sid using it on someone besides her. Lea frowned a little under it, but determination still burned in his eyes.

"You are right, Mickey," Yen Sid said. "Except, in this case, he already has the power to wield a Keyblade. Can you summon it?"

Axel—wait, Lea—grimaced, confidence faltering, and he clucked his tongue. "Uh. No."

Yen Sid's eyes narrowed further. "Then how did you become aware you could wield a Keyblade?" he asked, his voice rumbling more than Kairi had ever heard it before.

"I had a dream about it," Lea replied. He shrugged. "And I thought I was all set after that—I wanted to show up here parading the thing about, but…" He reached out as if to summon a Keyblade. "Nothing, see? No Keyblade. Man, that was a disappointment when I first tried it."

Yen Sid took a deep breath.

Then he nodded.

"Perhaps it is for the best," he said, though he did not say why. "Come. We'll have to see about training you, as well."

Lea's eyebrows shot up. " _As well?_ "

Kairi summoned her Keyblade for him to see, a smirk working its way onto her lips. Perhaps it was cruel of her, but it felt kinda nice to be able to rub this in Lea's face. She could summon a Keyblade. He could not.

"Well, congratulations," Lea said, though he said it in the most deadpan voice possible.

Kairi banished her Keyblade, and then she staggered. The smirk fell from her face. She gasped for a breath of air, hand flying to clutch her chest. Something  _very dark_ and  _very foul_ had just crossed her senses. It felt like she would choke on it.

"S- _Sora!_ " she cried out, when she had the air. Her head whipped to look at him—the dark…  _thing_ had felt like it had come from his heart, or that it was near his heart, or something. How she could tell, she wasn't sure, but the voice that sounded like Namine whispered to her:  _It's probably because you spent so much time_ in _his heart._

Kairi hardly noticed the fact that Goofy was supporting her. She frantically turned her attention back to Yen Sid, anger bubbling in her gut. "I  _felt that!_ " She was yelling. She didn't care. "I  _felt that_ this time!  _Don't tell me I didn't!_ "

Yen Sid closed his eyes and lowered his head, running a hand through his beard. He did not answer.

"What's going on with Sora!?" Donald quacked.

"I- I don't know." Kairi shook her head. "I- I don't… I'm not sure what I felt but it was  _very_ dark and I don't like it. Is- is he okay?  _Is Sora okay?_ "

Yen Sid made a sound like a sigh and a groan at the same time.

"Master Yen Sid…?" Mickey pressed.

"Look, I don't claim to understand what's going on," Lea said. "But I bet you Xehanort's planning  _something,_ and if he's anything like Xemnas, then his first target is gonna be right there." He pointed directly at Sora. "Take out the biggest threat before it can cause trouble—that's what we were supposed to do in Castle Oblivion."

Yen Sid nodded. "You are right." He looked first at Lea, then at Kairi. "You both are right." He let out a long sigh. "I sensed something was amiss almost immediately after we started. Xehanort must've known what we were planning."

"Wouldn't put it past him," Lea muttered.

Yen Sid nodded. "Unfortunately, neither would I."

Kairi's heart seized. "Are they safe?" she asked. "Please tell me they're safe!"

"You must understand… this is not how the Mark of Mastery is usually found, but it was a necessity, in light of what they must do next," Yen Sid said. Avoiding her question, like always. "If Sora and Riku complete this task and lock the seven Keyholes, they will return home with a new power—However, the dangers make this more a trial than a test."

"Are they safe?" Mickey repeated Kairi's question, though more hesitantly.

"Given their abilities, I would like to think so," Yen Sid replied. "But… all my attempts to locate Sora and Riku end… questionably."

"Questionably?" Kairi asked, her voice squeaking as the word left her mouth.

Yen Sid grunted an approval. "Xehanort is a devious tactician. There is nothing we can do that he will not, to some extent, be able to predict."

"So…" Mickey began.

"Well, as we can see, the Organization's members are complete people again," Yen Sid said, with a gesture at Lea. "Xehanort is undoubtedly returned, as well, just as Lea said. We cannot afford any hesitation, now. Any strategy we can come up with that will outwit Xehanort, and catch him off guard, needs to be considered." He looked at Lea, then at Kairi, longer at Kairi. A chill went down Kairi's spine, as she realized what he meant.

 _Her._ She was not just being trained because she had the Keyblade, because she could be trained—she was being trained because they  _needed_ her, they needed  _everything_ to outwit Xehanort. She straightened, pushing Goofy away from her, certain she could stand on her own now. She tried to look like she wasn't scared.

Yen Sid returned his attention to Lea. "I must warn you," he said. "The road you have chosen will not be easy."

"That's alright." Lea smirked. "Let's jump right in."


	5. Xehanort's Plans

Kairi took a long breath, slowly adjusting how her hair was tied up. It'd been a long day of Keyblade training with Mickey—not with Lea. Lea was training somewhere else. Somewhere that Kairi thought Yen Sid had, maybe, called "more temporally flexible". Actually, she was pretty sure he'd called it that, she just didn't exactly understand how a place like that could exist. "Because magic", probably, but…  _still._

She shook her head and started threading the last shell onto Riku's charm. Hopefully it would be done by the time this test was over.  _Hopefully he'll still be around to give it to,_ another voice (not Namine's) added, but she pushed it down. She couldn't let herself think like that. They'd both been through some serious scrapes before and managed just fine. This would be no different.

To distract herself from that thought, she cleared her throat. "So, why does Ax—mm,  _Lea,_ get special training, and I don't?" she asked. It was asked as more of a joke than anything else, but it was hard to tell if Yen Sid understood it as such.

"Simply? Because you do not need it," he answered. "Training someone to  _summon_ the Keyblade is a much different task than training someone to  _fight_ with it."

Donald snorted—or made some sort of duck equivalent sound. He and Goofy were sitting on the floor not far from her, playing some form of board game. They'd offered to let Mickey join, after he and Kairi had come up from Keyblade Training, but he'd declined. The looks they kept giving him as he paced, though, made Kairi think they were going to insist he play pretty soon here, if only to distract him from his worries. If Kairi hadn't needed to finish Riku's charm, she'd have taken them up on the offer. It certainly looked more distracting than sewing.

"Do you really think he can wield it at all?" Donald asked. "I mean, this is  _Axel_ we're talking about." He nudged Goofy. "Your move."

Goofy scratched his head as he frowned at the board. "Actually, I thought Lea was a pretty nice guy," he argued. "He did tell us where Kairi was, and he said he was sorry about kidnapping her, plus he never seemed to be working  _with_ the Organization…"

"I am positive he can wield it. Eventually." Yen Sid's voice was firm, but not as firm as it usually was. "I would not be going through all this trouble if I was not."

"But, how can you be sure?" Mickey asked.

"I sensed the potential within him—not just the potential to, but the ability to, as if someone had passed him the power," Yen Sid explained. "Who passed it to him, I am not sure, but the power is certainly there." Kairi thought he sounded a little reluctant.

Mickey let out a long breath. He looked pretty distraught. Goofy and Donald exchanged quick glances, then a nod.

"Hey, Mickey," Goofy called. "You sure you don't want to join the game?"

Kairi looked down at Riku's charm, then sighed. "I'll play too," she offered—she didn't want Mickey worrying too much, either, and she could probably use a distraction herself.

"Maybe in a minute," Mickey said, waving them off. He cleared his throat. "Master Yen Sid. Do you- do you know where Sora and Riku are now?"

Goofy and Donald exchanged another set of worried looks, then Goofy looked at Kairi. She shrugged. He shrugged as well.

"No," Yen Sid answered. "I do not. But, if we are running on the assumption that Xehanort knew what we were planning, that still does not account for one thing—he would have had to have been there, when Destiny Islands fell into darkness, otherwise, Sora and Riku would be out of his reach in the Dream Worlds."

Goofy slowly reached up to tap his head, as if the words had made him think of something. Kairi couldn't imagine what. She was only partially sure of Yen Sid was talking about. She  _thought_ she remembered him mentioning something about this before, about Destiny Islands and it falling to darkness, but she couldn't remember  _exactly_ what he'd said. He'd said it along with a lot of other things about Sora and Riku's test.

"Do you think Xehanort could have planned that far ahead in advance?" Mickey asked.

Donald made an annoyed sound. Kairi saw him reach for a third game piece and place it on the board.

"No, as a matter of fact, I do not." Yen Sid sounded fairly confident in this claim. That was a relief. Maybe Sora and Riku were safe, after all.

Goofy looked up from whatever his thought had been. "Now, hang on, couldn't have Xehanort done what Sora and Riku did, and jumped through time?"

That was right. Yen Sid had said something about sending Sora and Riku through time to Destiny Islands before it fell into darkness so that they would be transported to the Dream World when it fell. Or, at least, Kairi thought that was what he'd said. She was kicking herself for not paying more attention.

Yen Sid shook his head. "For that to work, a version of him would need to be at both source and destination."

Before anyone could feel relieved, Mickey gasped. "Oh...  _oh no!_ " His voice was grave, and he spoke very rapidly. "I remember now! Xehanort  _was_ there! It was- it was recorded in Jiminy's Journal!" He looked to Donald and Goofy for confirmation. After a moment, they both nodded.

Kairi felt her heart seize. "No! It cannot be!" Yen Sid all but shouted. "Could he  _truly_ be that cunning?"

Mickey grimaced. Donald and Goofy looked at each other, seeming just as worried. Kairi chewed her lip, hands trembling and she clutched Riku's charm. She had had her fears about this—it was hard to ignore the pulsing in her chest, the darkness she felt in waves from Sora's heart—but hearing it confirmed only made it worse. There was no trying to deny it now.

"If it's alright with you, can I go help Sora and Riku?" Mickey asked. He seemed less fidgety than he'd been moments before, and more determined.

"How?" Yen Sid demanded. "You cannot get into the world of a dream."

"No, but if Xehanort is behind this, he'll eventually have to take them somewhere else—somewhere we can reach them, and I think I know how to find out where." Mickey put a hand over his chest. "Follow the hearts… and you'll find the way…" A sad smile broke on his face. "Master Aqua told me that."

Goofy and Donald jumped to their feet, in their haste kicking the board. "We're coming too!" they declared, in unison.

Mickey laughed. "Aw, fellas, you're my best pals," he said. "But this time, I really hafta do it on my own—if something were to happen to Sora and Riku and me, you'd be the only ones left to look after the worlds. You, and Kairi, too." He looked right at her.

Kairi swallowed the question she'd been about to ask. Clearly she would not get permission to go with this time.

"Listen, Kairi, I know you want to come," Mickey said. He was patient, and he was kind. "And I would let you come in a heartbeat, but… I'm not so sure you have enough training yet—Sora and Riku are already in danger, and, minus Lea, you're our only other Keyblade. Can you stay behind?"

It was a question, not a command, and for some reason it was what made the tears in Kairi's eyes finally fall. She did not want to admit he was right, but he was. She had been training hard, but it had only been a few days, and there was no way she knew enough. It was infuriating that she knew so little, that she could not save them, could not save two boys she cared so much about.

She took a deep breath, biting back her tears as well as she could.

And she nodded.

"Promise you'll bring them back."

Mickey sent her a reassuring smile. "I'll do everything I can."

"Mickey," Yen Sid said. "I still cannot locate Sora, but I sense Riku's presence in the realm between. Trust your heart, and I'm sure you will find him."

Mickey nodded. "Thank you. I'll be back soon."

He headed out the door.

Donald and Goofy each let out a long sigh, and then sat back down to fix their game. Kairi wiped her eyes. She hoped no one had seen her tears, or, at least, would not comment on them. She was not certain how she would hold together if pressed.

"Do you want to play, Kairi?" Goofy asked, after a moment.

She swallowed. Hesitated. "No... I should…  _really_ finish Riku's charm." She held it up.

"Just one game, Kairi," Donald said, with an annoyed quack.

"I'm sure Riku will understand if his charm isn't finished for him when he gets back," Goofy added.

Kairi sighed.

Fresh tears welled up in her eyes, but she smiled.

"One game," she agreed, moving to join them.


	6. They Need Me

Kairi finished stitching together Riku's charm with trembling fingers, and let out a little sigh of relief now that it was done. She'd give it to him the moment she saw him. Or, saw him  _for real._ She considered placing the charm in the hand of his sleeping body, but that felt too impersonal, especially when she could not explain to him why it was so late.

It was still only her and Donald and Goofy and Yen Sid in the room—Lea had briefly returned from his training, only to go after Mickey immediately after he heard. The words  _I promised I'd be there_  were on his lips, and none of them had been able to stop him. He was gone through one of his dark portals too quickly.

"You finally finish it?" Donald asked.

Kairi looked up, and nodded, smiling. "Yeah, finally." She held it up for them to see. The shells on Sora's had all been white and pink, but Riku's were all purple. She'd put the crown symbol of Sora's necklace in the center of his, but Riku didn't have anything like that, so there was nothing in the middle of his charm. But it should be alright. She doubted he'd complain about it at all.

"You want to play another round?" Goofy asked, gesturing at the game board.

Kairi sighed, turning Riku's charm over in her hands. The truth was no, but now that she had nothing to occupy her hands, she was sure she'd worry herself sick. She nodded and got to her feet—

—and then she staggered.

She could feel it. Overwhelming darkness, coming from Sora. Darkness so think she felt like it could choke her.

And she thought— _thought—_ she heard Sora's voice.

_"Riku… Kai…ri…."_

It was faint.

Very faint.

She gasped for air. It was like she was suffocating, except the darkness was not tangible, it was not even in this room.

"S-Sora," she coughed. She was on her knees. "It's Sora."

"Is he okay?!" Either or Donald or Goofy asked. Perhaps it was both of them.

All she could do was shake her head and cough some more. Her stomach heaved like she was about to vomit, which was crazy. Thinking that didn't make the heaving stop, though. It was like darkness was coated on her heart—worse, on Sora's.

Kairi did not see the look Donald and Goofy exchanged, but she felt their hands on her arms as they pulled her to her feet.

"I think Kairi needs some air!" Goofy declared.

"We'll be back, Master Yen Sid!" Donald added.

And then they were out the door and helping Kairi down the stairs—dragging her, actually. She said nothing, couldn't find the strength to. Most of her will was going into not puking.

"Are you sure about this, Donald?" Goofy asked, after a moment.

"Positive."

"He said we shouldn't go after him."

"He's also been gone for ages."

They were talking about Mickey. Kairi's heart pounded, and she realized what was going on. She tried a little harder to get her feet moving under her.

"Lea went after them—"

"You can't tell me you trust Lea!"

"You shouldn't be so skeptical, Donald…"

Donald only huffed. "But what if something  _happened?_ "

There was a pause. Kairi saw Goofy send a worried glance at her. Donald's question was hardly a  _what if,_ just a point to be made. Kairi found she could breathe a little easier, and it wasn't long before she was supporting her own weight.

"I know the King wanted us to stay," Donald continued. "But we can't just abandon Sora—he's our friend, and we made him a promise, too!"

"Aw, I guess you're right," Goofy said. "You think you can walk now, Kairi?"

"Yeah. How are we getting there?"

She didn't figure it was a question whether or not she was going along as well. Donald and Goofy would not have dragged her all this way if they were only going to tell her to stay behind.

Donald sent her a sly smile and pulled out a star shaped object from behind his back. It was hard to see much more detail besides that. The object seemed to catch and reflect all the light in the room. Goofy put his hands to his mouth.

"Isn't this stealing?" he asked.

"We'll give it back," Donald replied, with an impatient flap of his hand. He held out the object, and Goofy reached for it.

Before he or Kairi could grab onto it as well, there was a burst of magic. Yen Sid was suddenly standing before them, arms crossed over his chest. Kairi had never seen him glare so furiously before in the short time she'd known him.

"Did you three really think you could carry this plan out without me noticing?" Yen Sid asked. Kairi winced. Goofy covered his eyes. Donald sighed and offered the object back to Yen Sid.

Yen Sid did not move to take it, though. "No, I did not come to tell you that you could not go. I only came to make sure you knew how to use that properly."

"Wait, you're letting us go?" Kairi asked.

"Do they really need our help?" Goofy asked on top of her.

"I cannot say for certain, but I sense it is imperative that you go," Yen Sid replied. "Now, Donald, that object you are holding is called a star shard—do you know how to use it?"

Donald turned it over in his hands. "Uh… Well…"

"If you think of where you want to be, or need to be, even if where that is, is not a place, but something more of an idea. Think of that, and it  _should_ take you there. Should." Yen Sid's expression did not change, but his tone darkened. "Star shards are very fickle things, Donald."

"I understand!" Donald quacked.

Yen Sid lowered his head in that slow nod of his. Then his attention was on Kairi. She felt as if his eyes would bore holes into her head. She hiccupped.

"I fear I must say I feel as Mickey did, Kairi," he said, drawing his words out as if he truly did not wish to say them. "Your training is hardly adequate for such a task. Going along would be reckless, not to mention dangerous. Are you sure you wish to risk it?"

Kairi did not have to think long to find her answer. All she had to do was picture Sora and Riku's sleeping bodies. Imagine them never waking up. Tears welled up in her eyes, and rage burned in her stomach.

Goofy had already grabbed onto the star shard. Kairi looked Yen Sid dead in the eye.

"I don't care if it's dangerous. They  _need_ me."

She put her hand on the star shard. Then there was a jolt, a flash of light, and a feeling like she was being pushed and pulled five different directions at once. Then it was over, and they were falling.

It was hard to describe,  _exactly,_ what happened during the fall. Kairi really only registered hitting the ground, followed by a dark presence fading. She tried not to think about how dark everything  _else_ in this place felt.

"Were we supposed to do that?" she heard Donald moan, from her right.

"I think so…." Goofy replied, from her left.

Kairi only groaned and started pushing herself up. Where were Sora and Riku? Were they okay?

"Donald! Goofy! Kairi! You saved us!" Mickey called.

" _Kairi!?_ "

Riku's voice. She laughed in relief.

"What are you  _doing_ here? It's dangerous!"

He was worried, but he didn't sound like he was hurt or anything. Kairi pushed aside her worried feelings and summoned her Keyblade to help her get up the rest of the way.

"I got it," she said, sending a glance at Riku. He was crouched on the ground, as if having just recovered from a fall, and staring bewilderedly at her. After a second though, a smile broke on his lips and he rolled his eyes.

"I guess you do," he said, as he straightened and raised his Keyblade. Kairi readied hers, too, and looked up to see whatever threat it was they faced.

She took in all the details of the sight before her at once. Tall white chairs or thrones of sorts. More than five. A white expanse behind them. Figures in black cloaks in each of the chairs but two. She recognized the faces immediately before her as Ansem and Xemnas, only because they were so close…

And then they started getting blurry. Transparent. Not just them, but all the other cloaked figures.

"I fear our time is up," came a voice from the highest seat. "A shame, too, when our union was not completed. But, the gathering of seven and thirteen is nigh!" It was hard to see him from this distance, but Kairi did not like his voice, nor the darkness that beat against her chest. "Let us finish this at the fated place, once your lights and my darknesses have joined together!"

And then all the cloaked figures, and the owner of the voice, were gone.

"Who was that?" Kairi asked, lowering her Keyblade. She had a feeling she knew, but…

"Xehanort," Mickey answered. Kairi nodded—she had known, then—and banished her Keyblade, sensing there was no more danger. She turned to Mickey, to ask another question, but in doing so saw Sora. He hung limply from Lea's arm.

"What's wrong with Sora!?" she demanded, her voice squeaking.

Riku grimaced. Scratched the back of his neck as he let his own Keyblade vanish. "Uh…"

" _Riku,_ what  _happened?_ "

"That's not so easy to explain."

"Is he alright or not!"

"Kairi—"

"Look, from what I understand," Lea interjected. "Xehanort tried to turn him into a vessel, or something. He definitely didn't succeed in that—trust me, I stopped it—but I can't say I get why he's still sleeping like a log."

Riku shook his head. "I don't know either. He was like that when I found him. I mean…" He began, then trailed off, shaking his head again. "Can we talk about it when we all get back to Yen Sid's? I'm going to have to ask him if he's got an idea of what's going on, anyway."

"But—" Kairi started to protest.

Riku smiled reassuringly at her, clapped a hand on her shoulder—was he shorter? His clothes were different, too, but… He was definitely shorter. "We'll talk later, alright? We probably shouldn't stick around here much longer, anyway."

Kairi sighed. Sent a quick glance at Sora. "Alright, yeah," she agreed, with a groan. "This place does give me the creeps. How are we getting back?" She looked first at Donald, because he was the one who had gotten them here, but it was Mickey who answered.

"The Gummi Ship's a little way's out," he said. "Not too far."

"Then let's get going already!" Lea groaned.

"What about you, Riku?" Kairi asked, pushing his hand off of her.

"Me? I just have to wake up."

She nodded. Smiled at him. Then she realized that Lea had set Sora down. Of course, they couldn't take Sora with them—the only way he would get back is if he woke up, too—but…

"Hang on, we can't just leave Sora  _here,_ " she said.

Everyone looked at her. Lea shot her a dirty look, and there was probably a rude comment about to leave his mouth, as well. He didn't get a chance to, though, because Riku nodded.

"You're right," he said, and moved to Sora. He put an arm around Sora's back and pulled him upright. "I'll take him to one of the other dream worlds. He'll be alright there." Riku flashed another smile. Kairi tried not to think he was just being strong for her. "See you at Yen Sid's."

"See you," Kairi replied.

And then Riku simply vanished, taking Sora with him.

"C'mon, Kairi," Mickey said, tugging on her hand to pull her away. "We'll see them when we get back."

"But Sora…"

"Yen Sid will know what to do."

"Alright…"


	7. Awakening

Riku was awake when they returned. He was sitting against the wall next to Sora, still, holding the charm Kairi had made for him. A blush rose to Kairi's cheeks—Less because he found it, and more because she hadn't been able to explain it to him.

He looked up at the sound of their approach, and after a brief glance over all of them, his eyes found Kairi's. "This for me?" he asked, holding up the charm a little. She blushed even harder, and nodded.

"You didn't have to." Riku waited until she was closer to him to discuss it, at least, and lowered his voice, though she doubted it did much. "I wasn't trying to be a grump about Sora's."

It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about. "What? Oh, Riku." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I  _meant_ to make you one. I meant to make  _all_ of us one. But, y'know, then the world sort of fell into darkness and I forgot.  _Literally._ "

"Oh yeah… right…" Riku cleared his throat. Kairi's eyebrows shot up, recognizing the sound and his shifty glance to mean he was hiding something.

"Riku," she began, very slowly. "Do you know something about—"

"Shouldn't we be worrying about Sora?" he blurted. Kairi scowled at him, but didn't deny it. Forgetting Sora for a year could wait. It certainly wasn't as important as the possibility of losing Sora  _forever._

She moved to sit on the other side of Sora, grabbing his hand tightly. Riku was very discreet about it, but she saw him move to take Sora's other hand.

"Aw… Sora…" Mickey had come to join them. He sent a glance at something over Kairi's shoulder—Yen Sid, she realized, when she looked up to see. "Is his heart sleeping like Ven's is?"

"No, Mickey, I'm afraid the affliction is not the same."

Kairi wasn't sure what they were talking about, and frankly, didn't care at the moment.

"What can we do for him?" Riku asked. He did not look at Yen Sid, but met Kairi's eye.

"You unlocked the seven Sleeping Keyholes, did you not, Riku?" Yen Sid asked.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Then by doing so, not only did you wake those worlds from their prisons of slumber, you also acquired the power to free a heart from its sleep," Yen Sid continued.

"So I can wake him back up?" Riku's face lit up with shock, and with relief. Kairi let out a breath she'd been holding, as well.

"Wait, but…" Mickey said. "Won't he have to dive back into Sora's sleep? Isn't that… Isn't that dangerous?"

"I cannot say it won't be," Yen Sid admitted.

Kairi shot a worried look—briefly—at Riku, but he did not seem to notice.

"Maybe I should go," Mickey began.

"From the sounds of what Yen Sid's saying, I'm the only one who can," Riku interjected. There was a faint smile on his face, despite the worry in his tone. Kairi wasn't sure if it was leftover relief to hear that Sora would be okay, or if it was smugness. She'd believe either. "Sorry, Mickey… and… and Kairi…" His face fell a little, only to light up again as he got an idea. "Master Yen Sid, could she come as well?"

Yen Sid hesitated for a long moment, but his answer was the one Kairi expected. "I'm afraid not," he said. "For the same reasons Mickey shouldn't."

Kairi sighed. "That's alright." There was no use getting upset about something she couldn't do, after all. Or, that's what she told herself. She was still quite a bit upset, regardless.

"Shouldn't someone stay here to call them back, anyway?" Goofy asked. "In case one of them gets lost? Or… in case Riku gets lost, too, I guess..."

Mickey brightened at the suggestion. He opened his mouth, about to say something, already nodding, but Riku beat him to it.

"Yeah!" Riku said, with a smile. He turned from Goofy back to Kairi. His eyes seemed to gleam. "You can be a light to lead us back."

All Kairi could do was laugh. It was a strange feeling, to be regarded with so much faith, especially concerning something so serious. Riku's smile sparked something in her chest, but she could not say what. "You aren't going to get lost," she told him. She appreciated his sentiment, of course, but she had to tease.

"I might," Riku replied. His eyes burned with a mischievous smile that never reached his lips. "And even if I don't, I'll appreciate your help, anyway. It's always nice to have a light guiding you home, even if you don't need it." The glint of a mischievous smile was replaced by a real one—Kairi wasn't sure she'd seen Riku smile so much in a short span of time in a long while.

"Thanks…" she whispered.

Riku nodded, and got to his feet. She was sure she saw him squeeze Sora's hand before doing so. "I'll guess I'll go wake him up now, huh?" The mischievous glint was back in his eyes. "Though, I have to say, isn't this kind of familiar, Kairi? Him slacking off like this?"

Kairi couldn't help herself. She giggled. For all the worry they'd been feeling minutes ago, it was nice for the mood to be lightening. It was even better that Riku was so at ease. This was the first she'd seen him like this since they'd reunited.

"He did always take a nap instead of gathering supplies for the raft, didn't he?" Kairi agreed. "Or, really, instead of doing anything."

"Exactly! I mean, what kind of Keyblade Master sleeps through his test, anyway?"

"I think you did," Kairi said. It was a struggle to keep the smile off her face.

Riku instantly turned sour. "That's not the point, Kairi."

She only laughed.

"Don't keep him waiting, Riku."

"Yeah! The sooner he's back, the better!" Donald called. His last word broke off as Goofy nudged him, and he instantly put his hands over his beak. Kairi rolled her eyes, but Riku laughed. It was really nice to hear him laugh so openly again.

"We'll be back soon," Riku said.

He summoned his Keyblade and aimed it at Sora. There was a burst of light that surrounded the two of them, and then Riku collapsed. Kairi, who'd been expecting this, caught him on his way down and eased him to the ground. It only took a bit of maneuvering to get him leaning up against the wall again, this time with enough space between him and Sora for her to sit.

Everyone else suddenly lost interest, which Kairi was grateful for. She carefully pressed Riku's charm into his hand, then Sora's into his, closing their fingers around the charms gently. Then she sat herself down between them and grabbed their free hands, squeezing tight.

Kairi wasn't sure how long it had been—only that it'd been long enough for her fingers to start going numb—when Yen Sid sent Donald and Goofy and Lea to go get something. She hadn't been paying attention to what. She was too busy sending good thoughts to Sora and Riku.

It was because of this that she missed the first bit of Mickey and Yen Sid's conversation. When their words finally reached her, she flushed a little with embarrassment. They were discussing the results of the exam, and had probably wanted to do it in private, and yet here she was, eavesdropping.

She probably should've said something to remind them that she was here, but she was too interested in the discussion. So she bit her lip and did her best not to breathe too hard.

"You can't exactly blame Sora for what Xehanort did," Mickey was saying. "Denying him the Mark of Master simply because Xehanort managed to trick him—to trick  _all_ of us!"

"That is not entirely why I am considering it," Yen Sid assured him. "While I do think Sora could use some more training when it comes to the darkness in his heart, there is more to it than that. He and Riku are both very young, younger than Aqua and Terra were when they took the Mark. It is not traditional to give out a Mark at this age, and I am merely doing this as a necessity—but I do not think Sora is ready."

"Because he's not old enough?"

"Because he is reckless." Kairi raised her eyebrows, though she could not quite say she disagreed. "I'm not saying that Xehanort could have been stopped if Sora had been more cautious, but he could certainly learn to be a little more careful."

"I guess you're right…" Mickey said, slowly.

"Do you disagree with me?"

"Well, no, if you think—"

Mickey was cut off by Yen Sid's rumbling voice.

"Mickey, the Exam needs two Masters to oversee it, and you are the second. Your opinion has just as much sway as mine has."

"It's hard to say when I couldn't see what was going on in the Sleeping Worlds as well as you could," Mickey argued. Kairi poked her head around Yen Sid's chair, so that she could see them. Thankfully, only Mickey was really in a position to see her, and that was only if he looked.

"Yes, and I am sorry about that," Yen Sid said, nodding his agreement with Mickey's protest. "But you have fought side by side with both Riku and Sora in the past…"

Mickey nodded as well, folding his arms across his chest. "I have…"

Kairi shifted so she wasn't leaning around the chair anymore. It was starting to get uncomfortable.

"If you think we need to do one of the more traditional portions of the exam to be certain…" Yen Sid began.

"Nah, it wouldn't be fair to make them go through that today after everything else they've been through," Mickey said, with a little laugh. "I… I think you're right. Riku definitely deserves to be a Master. And Sora… Well, maybe Sora could use a little more time."

"Are you positive?"

"Uh-huh! If you don't think Sora's ready, then I trust you. I don't think I could be sure myself unless we  _did_ do another portion of the exam, and like I said, it wouldn't be fair to ask them to today. Sora will just have to retake the exam when he's older."

"What do you mean by a 'more traditional portion'?" Kairi asked. Then she realized herself, and clapped a hand over her mouth. She waited a few agonizing seconds, though there was no point in pretending like she wasn't here anymore. Finally, she leaned out again so that they could see her, and she them.

Yen Sid looked like he was about to get very angry, but Mickey reached up and put a hand on his arm. "Well, normally, the Mark of Mastery exam isn't given like this," Mickey explained. He didn't sound angry at all. "How it  _is_ given depends on the Master, but a very traditional test would be having the participants duel each other, if there's more than one of them, or fight the Master, if no one else is available."

Kairi nodded. It made sense. "Oh," she said.

"Kairi, you should not have been eavesdropping," Yen Sid scolded, now that Mickey was done answering her question.

Kairi shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly my fault you apparently forgot I was here," she said. There wasn't much else to say—she  _could_  have apologized for not saying something when they started their discussion, or leaving of her own accord, but she didn't feel like it.

Yen Sid opened his mouth, then paused, considering what she had said. He didn't get the chance to answer, because there was a thump on the door.

"Hey! Could someone open this!" Donald called.

Mickey sent a smile at Kairi and went to open the door. Kairi leaned around the other side of Yen Sid's chair so she could see the door, and more importantly, Donald and Goofy and Lea as they entered. Donald was levitating a stack of chairs with his magic. Goofy and Lea were rolling a table. What they were for, Kairi wasn't sure, but she had to laugh at the thought of Goofy and Lea—Lea particularly—rolling that table up the flight of stairs.

"Over there will do," Yen Sid instructed, pointing to a spot about five feet to Kairi's right.

"I don't see why you couldn't have just magicked this stuff up here," Lea complained, as he helped Goofy get the table in place.

"He didn't want you in the room," Kairi said. She wasn't looking to see if Yen Sid was displeased by her saying so, and frankly, didn't care.

"He let you stay," Lea countered.

Kairi didn't hesitate. "Important Keyblade wielder meeting," she said. She'd been counting on Lea protest like that, and more importantly, ask  _her_ why she'd stayed. She didn't want to embarrass Yen Sid, after all.

"I'm a Keyblade wielder," Lea grumbled.

"You can't summon yours yet, can you?"

He scowled at her, but protested no further. Yen Sid said nothing, either, which was a relief.

"What's this stuff for, anyway?" Donald asked, as he set the last chair in place.

"Celebration," Yen Sid replied. With a wave of his arms, a wide assortment of cakes and other sweets appeared on the table. "I believe it was in order, after everything we have all been through."

Donald's eyes were as wide as saucers as he surveyed all of the sweets, and he would've launched himself right at the table had Goofy not caught him. "Don'tcha think we should wait for Sora and Riku to get back?" Goofy asked.

"Aw phooey."

Lea rolled his eyes and dragged one of the chairs away from the table, making himself comfortable in it at the edge of the room.

Kairi sighed and closed her eyes. She was just about to start sending good thoughts to Sora and Riku again when Sora moved. Her heart leapt to her throat, and before she could really react Sora was prying his hand out of hers.

"Gee, Kairi, what's wrong?" He studied her up and down, laughing. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I, uh—"

"Sora!" both Goofy and Donald shouted.

Sora looked past Kairi and at them, breaking out into a grin, though a confused one. It was so good to see his face moving, to see him  _awake._

"What, you guys were worried about me too—whoa!" Kairi'd thrown her arms around him, and he laughed, hugging her tightly back. "Well, hi, nice to see you too. I didn't realize I'd been gone so long. What's—oh…" She could not see his face fall, but she could hear it. "That's right…"

Kairi pulled away from him, giving him some space to think. He didn't look at her, but down at his charm instead, running his thumbs over the shells. After a few moments of studying it, or, more likely, turning his thoughts over, he slid it back through his belt and looked up at them all, grinning. "Well, alright, I don't really remember what happened, but it must've been bad, huh?"

" _Yes!_ " Kairi told him, staring in disbelief.

He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Whoops?" Before Kairi could say anything else to him he was on his feet and climbing over her and Riku. "Hey! There's cake!"

Kairi gaped after him, though she couldn't quite say she was surprised. A lot had changed over the years, but for the most part, Sora hadn't. "What about Riku?" she asked, as he started dishing himself up a plate of sweets.

"I'm sure he'll be here in a sec! Want some cake?"

"Uhh… no…"

She turned her attention to Riku, and to her surprise, found him shifting and waking up, as well. She sighed in relief, and once sure he was awake enough, hugged him as well. He hugged her back, though quite a bit more hesitantly than Sora had—Sora had only been hesitant at first, then his hug had been as tight as any other. Riku hugged her as if he feared breaking her by squeezing too hard.

"See! I told you Riku would be back soon!" Sora called, around a mouthful of what was probably cake.

"Charming," Kairi mumbled.

"Disgusting," Riku corrected, shaking his head.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Donald scolded, reaching over the table and whacking Sora on the arm. Sora apologized, though he didn't wait to swallow before doing so.

Yen Sid cleared his throat loudly. "Now that you two are back, would you care to hear the results of your test?"

"Oh yeah!" Sora kicked over his chair in his haste to get out of it. Riku groaned, though he moved much quicker than he normally did to join Sora in standing before Yen Sid's desk. Kairi got up and stood roughly next to them, though not close enough for it to be considered "improper" or anything. Lea didn't move. Mickey and Donald and Goofy ended up standing by the table.

Yen Sid cleared his throat again.

"You both performed truly admirably," he said, and Sora and Riku exchanged exited glances. "More than anything, I am grateful to have you both back from Xehanort's deception unharmed. I am also deeply sorry, for failing to perceive the danger soon enough, and for throwing you headlong into a perilous test."

Kairi tried not to sigh. It seemed Yen Sid hadn't lost his knack for talking forever.

"However, this experience has revealed many hidden truths," he continued. "We must prepare ourselves for what is in store in the coming clash between us and Xehanort—between light and darkness. I believe we need a new Keyblade Master, one with a new kind of power…"

Sora seemed to be bouncing a little, only barely containing himself. Kairi bit her lip, feeling a little sorry for him, since she knew where this was going. Hopefully he wouldn't take the news too badly.

"Sora and Riku, you both deserve the honor, but only one of you braved the realm of sleep again to unlock the final Keyhole and save a friend. Riku, I name  _you_ our new Keyblade Master."

Kairi raised her eyebrows, a little taken aback by the way Yen Sid had decided to phrase that. Then again, perhaps it was best he didn't outright tell Sora he was not passing him because he was reckless. She watched the boys carefully, waiting with baited breath. Riku seemed stunned, and Sora—

He broke out into a grin and threw an arm around Riku's shoulder, pulling him down a little to his level. "Way to go, Riku!" he shouted, with a playful punch to Riku's gut. "I knew you were gonna pass with  _flying colors!_ "

"Y-yeah?" Riku didn't sound like he believed it.

Kairi punched him on the shoulder. "Yeah, you big dummy. You passed." He looked at her, then at Sora, then at Yen Sid. Honestly, he looked like he'd be sick.

"This is just  _so awesome!_ " Sora was definitely bouncing with his excitement now, and his grin was wide enough to break his face in half.

"Gee, Sora, you're kina acting like it's you that passed!" Goofy laughed.

"I told you Sora still needed practice," Donald added in an exaggerated whisper.

Sora shot a playful glare at him. " _Hey!_ "

"Congratulations, Riku," Mickey said.

"Uh- thanks…" Riku cleared his throat. "Thank you… All of you…"

Kairi reached behind Riku, linking her arm around his back and grabbing at Sora's jacket, pulling him a little closer into the pseudo-hug. They locked eyes around Riku, and through that sort of telepathy you got from knowing someone for so long, arrived on the same idea at the same time. They shared identical grins, each took a deep breath:

" _Congratulations, Riku!_ " they shouted as loud as they could, right in his ears. He cringed and shoved them off of him, and though he pretended to be angry, Kairi could see the faintest smile on his lips.


	8. -Epilogue- Reconnect

Kairi and Sora and Riku were all sitting outside in the grass in front of Yen Sid's tower. They'd wanted privacy, and while there were plenty of spare rooms in the tower, Sora'd wanted some fresh air. Sora was sprawled on his back, while Riku sat cross-legged and picked idly at the grass beneath them. Kairi sat holding her feet, drumming her fingers on the ends of her shoes.

"How was that last dive into Sora's heart, anyway, Riku?" Kairi asked, with a playful nudge. She meant the question to be prying and probably embarrassing for Sora, but he shot upright, looking pretty eager to hear the answer as well.

"Yeah, what was it like?" he asked. "Was it boring? Or was it, I dunno, something really fancy?"

"What?" Riku looked between the two of them, as if having trouble processing what they'd asked. A weed snapped between his fingers. "Oh. Right." He shrugged. "It was alright. Wasn't dangerous or anything, really—I mean, I had to fight this possessed armor nightmare, but it didn't seem to be going too hard on me."

"Probably because Sora recognized you," Kairi said.

Sora nodded. "Yeah! I mean, nightmare or no, it was in my heart. And  _I_  wouldn't have tried to kill you, Riku. Nothing in my heart would, either!"

Riku laughed a little, shrugging and shaking his head. Kairi found herself smiling as well. Since she was sitting across from Sora and he was a little out of her reach, she patted Riku on the knee. She  _wanted_ to touch Sora as well, but, again, she couldn't do so without reaching and it looking a little weird, probably. She was just happy to have them back.

"Was that it?" Kairi pressed. For the most part, it was just out of disappointment that what was supposed to embarrass Sora ended up doing the opposite, and she was trying to dig for more. Though… Riku did look pretty deep in thought, and she doubted it was entirely aftershock from becoming a Keyblade Master.

"Hmm? No… I, uh, after I fought the nightmare, I was on Destiny Islands," Riku said. "You know how dreams are. And there I met… Roxas, actually."

"Roxas?" Sora asked. He seemed surprised, though Kairi was not. Her suspicions that it  _had_ been Namine speaking to her grew stronger.

Riku nodded. "Yeah. Roxas was there. And so was… some kid who looked  _exactly_ like Roxas, minus the clothes." His face scrunched up, and he broke another blade of grass.

"Do you think you were just seeing things?" Kairi said, slowly. "I mean, if it was kind of like a dream…"

Riku shrugged, but Sora shook his head pretty aggressively. "Nah, that can't be it! I mean, maybe it can be, but… Even if they were dreams, they were pretty real, and it was only when Xehanort was messing with me that  _I_ started seeing weird things." He paused, then. "Oh, except…" He reached up to rub his chin. "Hmm… wait… maybe that doesn't explain it…"

"Well, I'm definitely  _remembering_ it right," Riku said. "I can't say if I was  _seeing_ him right at the time, though."

"Whatever," Kairi said, before they could start breaking this down further and making her head hurt even worse. "If he saw someone who looked like Roxas, he saw someone who looked like Roxas. You see anyone else? Or just Roxas and the mystery kid?"

Riku thought about it for a long moment. "There was also a girl," he whispered. "I think. It's hard to remember, exactly, which is funny, because I remember everything else fine, but…" His fingers searched for another blade of grass to pick and break. "No, I'm sure she was there. She was, uh… She looked a little like you, Kairi."

"She did?"

Something in her chest tugged, though why, she wasn't sure.

Riku nodded, and his fingers left the grass alone. "Yeah. Back when your hair was still short. Though… she also kinda looked like Sora. Is that weird to say?" He looked first at her, then at Sora, waiting for an answer.

Sora shrugged. Kairi shrugged as well.

"I felt like I knew her, too," Riku continued. "I'm not sure where, or how… I just… I don't know. Something in me pulled at the sight of her. Like I knew her. Like I—" He broke off, face darkening, like the rest of that sentence was not a thought he wanted to dwell on.

"Hang on!" Sora lit up, putting his hands on his knees and pushing the rest of his body forward with his excitement. "Was she wearing an Organization cloak?"

Riku consider it a long second, then nodded. "Uh, yeah. I think."

"I met her too! I did!" He bobbed his head up and down. "I mean, I saw a lot of weird stuff at the end of the dream there, when Xehanort was meddling, like I said, but… I saw her. She was there, just for a second, and I…" His face darkened just like Riku's did, and he put a hand to his chest. "And I remember I got really,  _really_ sad, for some reason…"

Kairi licked her lips. She had nothing to say about this mystery girl, not even sure who she was, but now was as good as a time as any to bring up Namine. She cleared her throat.

"Okay, since we're talking about weird stuff, I'm just going to go ahead and say that I'm pretty sure Namine's talked to me. Or tried to. Or. Something." The words came out in a rush, before she could think they were crazy and take them back, though they were only about as crazy as everything else they'd been discussing.

Sora and Riku both looked at her, and neither of them really looked like they thought it strange at all.

"We didn't… have a distinct conversation," Kairi went on, seeing no point in stopping. "But I- I  _think_ she said a few things to me?" Even as she said it, she became less sure. Sora and Riku could be sure of what they'd seen because they'd  _seen_ it. But she'd only  _maybe_ heard Namine's voice. Maybe.

"I guess it's possible," Sora told her, sensing she wanted affirmation that she wasn't crazy, or something along those lines. "I mean, me and Roxas had talked—well, fought, really—once, ages ago, before this whole dream thing. And he talked to me in the dream, too! Maybe the circumstances aren't exactly the same, but…" He shrugged. "If Roxas is still chilling in my heart, maybe Namine's sitting around in yours."

"I'd believe it," Riku added. "I mean, she isn't exactly the textbook definition of a Nobody. Neither is Roxas, if I understood DiZ right."

"Good to hear I'm not crazy," Kairi said. They both nodded reassuringly at her, and Sora gave her a thumbs up, along with a smile.

"Hey, speaking of Namine, what did she say?" Sora asked. "And, uh, chances of  _me_  talking to her? Because I keep forgetting to thank her. Not that I want to use you as a messenger or anything!" Sora waved his hands in front of him. "But  _geeze_  at least to say thank you."

"What do you need to thank her for?" Kairi asked, in reply.

"Uh…." Sora stopped grinning, brow furrowing hard as he thought about it. "To be… honest… I don't know!" He gave a large shrug and an apologetic smile. "But Jiminy's Journal had 'thank Namine' in it, and that was  _all_ that was in it, so it's  _gotta_ be important, right?"

Kairi started to say  _yeah, I guess so,_ when she realized Riku was very pointedly not looking at either of them. She frowned at him, then flashed a look at Sora, then back to Riku. Riku coughed and acted like he was  _very_ interested in the blade of grass he was toying with.

"What? You know why I was nappin' for a year?" Sora nudged Riku with his toes.

"Uh…"

" _Riku._ " Kairi glared at him.

" _Uh._ "

Sora rolled his eyes, and nudged Riku a little harder. "C'mon, Riku!  _Spill it!_ "

"I wonder if he's still ticklish…" Kairi said, drawing the words out and sending a look at Sora that all in one said  _I know he still is_ and  _you pin him I'll tickle._ Sora was just about to do it, too, when Riku jolted and blurted:

"LOOK! Castle Oblivion- and- And she was being used by Organization 13 to rewrite Sora's memories so he'd work for them and then she felt bad and rebelled and tried to piece his memory back together but that took way longer than any of us expected it to because…  _things_ … happened… And… And to put his memories back she had to make him forget what happened in Castle Oblivion and so that's why you don't remember why you were sleeping." Riku directed this last bit at Sora, and let out a long breath. He sat as if he expected them to still tackle him.

Sora burst out laughing. "Oh, geeze, is that it? Why are you so nervous about it?"

"Wait, hang on," Kairi scowled harder. "Is  _that_ why I forgot about him for a full year?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Kairi," Sora told her, with a dismissive flap of his hand. "The Hollow Bastion—or Radiant Garden, I guess—Restoration Committee forgot me, too, and I bet everyone else did, so there's no need to feel bad about it."

"I still would like to know," Kairi protested.

"I think it had something do with because he didn't have the memories no one else did and something to do with Sora's heart, you know how that is…" Riku explained.

Kairi raised her eyebrows and shot a glance at Sora. "I dunno, Sora, he still seems pretty shifty."

Riku jumped again. "Look! I only know this second hand from Namine! Maybe you should just ask her."

The words made Kairi's heart seize, and for a terrible few seconds, it felt like she could not breathe at all. She was moments away from shouting  _no! that's a bad idea!_ when she caught herself and forced air back into her lungs. If she had still had any doubts Namine was still in her, they were long gone now. There was no way those feelings could have been her own, especially considering she had no idea what had happened in Castle Oblivion or with Sora's memories, so she couldn't  _possibly_ be dreading having to explain it.

"Ask… her… what? About… Castle Oblivion? Or… Or Sora's memories?" The moment the words left Kairi's mouth her eyes went wide. She hadn't even thought of saying them. The slightly angry thought that Namine had just used her mouth made something inside of her—Namine—cringe.

Riku stared at her. For a fluttering moment she hoped he'd realize that those words had been Namine's. Whether the hope was her own or not, she couldn't say.

"I meant about Sora's memories," he answered, very slowly, continuing to regard her with a look that made her think he did know the words had been Namine's, but wasn't going to say. "I'm not sure if she'd want to talk about Castle Oblivion. It wasn't fun for… anyone. Me included. But, yeah, about Sora's memories, and why it took us so long to figure them out." Riku slowly reached up to massage his head. "I feel like… I feel like I  _know_ why, honestly, but I just can't… remember…"

Kairi—or Namine through Kairi—let out a sigh of relief. Kairi briefly thought that now she was  _really_ curious as to what had happened in Castle Oblivion, but then her heart seized, and wouldn't stop until she thought of something else.

"Well, we can ask her!" Sora said. "And not through Kairi, either, because I'm sure she wouldn't enjoy that." He beamed. "After all, we'll be seeing Namine again, and then we can ask, and I can thank her in person."

"We will?" Kairi asked. She wasn't sure if she was confused or startled at the suggestion, though she was probably both—or, Namine was one, and she was the other. Kairi knew for certain that she'd be relieved when Namine had her own body, so that she wouldn't have to be so confused her about her own emotions like this anymore. And also because Namine didn't really deserve to stay trapped in her mind—or heart, whatever—like this.

"Yeah!" Sora nodded. "I'm not sure how I'm gonna do it just yet, but I'm going to bring them back. Her and Roxas and… and that other girl. The one me and Riku saw.  _Oh!_  And I guess that boy Riku saw, too, and! I also saw  _another_ girl with blue hair during that dream and with her was a guy that  _kinda_ vaguely reminded me of Xemnas…?" He grimaced for a second, then grinned again. "I'm not exactly sure who they all are, or where they are, but I'm gonna make sure they all come back."

"If anyone can, it's you," Riku said.

"Yeah. It definitely is," Kairi agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I technically did not have to write this epilogue, seeing as it isn't directly relevant to the idea of "retelling Dream Drop Distance but with Kairi", except it seemed a right shame to write a fic for this game and not even TALK about my favorite part (i.e. the promises it makes for my favorite characters returning).
> 
> That's the end of it, though! I hope you enjoyed!


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